Links to Great Jazz Improvisation Resources:

The Jazz Deck

This method is a great way to learn all the essential jazz chords and expand your understanding and skill with chord alterations. It is simple and straight-forward to use, and would have been a VERY welcomed tool back when I was young and struggling to develop improv skills.

The Jazz Lictionary Method Book

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This method offers many great jazz licks (or patterns, as I call them) and helps students learn them in multiple keys and use them in improvised solos. This is a great way to continue developing your improvisation skills after finishing Improv Pathways.

Jazz Heaven Website

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This website offers many great resources for the intermediate to advanced jazz improviser. It features videos and books by Jerry Bergonzi, as well as many other jazz musicians. I feel that Bergonzi's materials are superior to many of the other materials out there.

Book: Teaching Improv in Your Jazz Ensemble, by Zach Poulter

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This book is offers chapters on why improvisation is important, how it can be taught within your ensemble rehearsals, and how to choose jazz charts that support your curriculum. It also includes an index of over 180 Grade 1-3 jazz charts, with detailed information about the key and chord progression in the solo section. It is a great resource from an experienced jazz educator!

It is available from amazon.com and from the NAFME website.

Website dedicated to Guide Tones: guidetonelines.com

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This website features very interesting analysis of both jazz and popular tunes, with an emphasis on voice leading and guide tones in the harmonic progressions. If you want to delve more deeply into this stuff, check it out!

Jazz Improv Blog

Visit my blog for articles on how improvisation can be better taught in our jazz ensembles, and how Improv Pathways makes it easy.